FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional rotative apparatus for sorting and counting coins illustrating an external shape thereof.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional rotative apparatus for sorting and counting coins comprises a coin slot 110 for inputting coins, a guide 130 for sorting the inputted coins in accordance with sizes thereof, a coin receiver 140 for receiving a predetermined number of sorted coins, a coin-collecting drawer 150 for collecting the coins failed to be received by the coin receiver 140, and a power supplying apparatus 160 for supplying or interrupting power to and form the apparatus for sorting and counting coins.
The following is a brief description of an operational mechanism of the apparatus for sorting and counting coins as constructed above.
If a user switches on the power supplying apparatus 160 and inputs coins into the coin slot 110, the coins are sorted by the sorting device at a lower side of the coin slot 110. The sorted coins are outputted by the guide 130.
The coins outputted by the guide 130 are received by the coin receiver 140. The coin receiver 140 is manufactured to have a height for receiving a predetermined number of coins. Once a predetermined number of coins are received up to the predetermined height of the coin receiver, the excessive coins failed to be received by the coin receiver fall into the coin-collecting drawer 150. As shown in FIG. 1, where the coin receiver 140 comprises two containers, and if a first container of the coin receiver 140 adjacent to the guide 130 is filled up, the excessive coins failed to be received by the first container are received by the second container of the coin receiver 140.
If the coins have filled up the coin receiver 140, the user switches off the power supplying apparatus 160 and detaches the coin receiver 140 from the apparatus for sorting and counting coins to use the sorted coins for desired purposes.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional rotative apparatus for sorting and counting coins.
Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional apparatus for sorting and counting coins comprises a coin slot 110 for inputting coins, a supply controlling container 111 for controlling a considerable number of coins inputted into the coin slot 110 so that a small number of coins can be inputted into a sorting apparatus, a supplying outlet formed on a side surface of the supply control container 111 for inputting a small number of coins, a cover 115 for preventing the coins from leaving outside of the rotating supply controlling container 111, a conveying container 113 for conveying the coins inputted through the supplying outlet 112 so as to be sorted by conveying holes 114 and sorting holes 116, a rotating shaft 118 for rotating the supply control container 111 and the conveying container 113, and a motor 117.
The conventional apparatus for sorting and counting coins further comprises a guide 130 for separately receiving the coins sorted by the sorting holes 116, a coin receiver 140 for receiving the coins sorted by the guide in accordance with sizes of the coins, a receiving container 141 for receiving the coin receiver 140, and a coin-collecting drawer 150 for collecting the coins failed to be received by the coin receiver 140.
The following is a brief description of an operation of the conventional apparatus for sorting and counting coins as constructed above.
If a considerable number of coins are inputted through the coin slot 110, the coins are accumulated in the supply control container 111. As the supply control container 111 rotates, a small number of coins are inputted into the conveying container 113 through the supplying outlet 112 formed on a side surface of the supply control container 111.
As the conveying container 113 rotates, the coins are inserted into the conveying hole 114 formed on the conveying container 113, and conveyed to the sorting hole 116.
The sorting holes 116 comprise a number of holes of different sizes formed in the order of small to large sizes along the rotating line of the conveying hole 114.
Accordingly, the coins of smaller sizes are outputted first from the sorting holes 116 while the coins of the largest size are outputted from the sorting hole in the last order.
The supply control container 111 and the conveying container 113 are rotated by the rotating shaft 118 and the motor 117 formed at a lower side of the conveying container 113.
The coins sorted by the sorting holes 116 are received by the coin receiver 140 in a state of having been sorted by the guide 130.
The coin receiver 140 may comprise multiple containers in accordance with the sizes of the coins. As shown in FIG. 2, the coin receiver 140 may comprise two containers for the coins of the same size.
If both the two containers of the coin receiver 140 have been filled up by the coins, the excessive coins fall down into the coin-collecting drawer 150.
Once the coin sorting is completed, the user detaches the coin receiver 140 from the apparatus for sorting and counting coins so as to sort the coins in a different manner.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coin supplier separated from the conventional rotative apparatus for sorting and counting coins.
Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional rotative apparatus for sorting and counting coins comprises a supply control container 111 having a concave portion in the middle and including a supplying outlet 112 on a side surface for supplying a predetermined number of coins when rotated, a cover 115 engaged with an upper side of the supply control container 111 and having a coin slot 110 in the middle for preventing coins from leaving outside of the apparatus for sorting and counting coins, a conveying container 113 formed on a lower side of the supply control container 111 and including conveying holes 114 for loading each coin, sorting holes 116 having a plurality of holes of different sizes for sorting the coins conveyed by the conveying holes 114 in accordance with sizes, a motor 117 for generating power, a rotating shaft 118 for conveying the rotating the power generated from the motor 117, a gear 120 rotated along the rotating shaft 118 and having a protrusion, a stopper 119 having an angle at the tip thereof so that the rotating direction of the gear 120 can be interfered, and a spring for supplying an elastic force to the stopper 119.
The following is a description of an operational mechanism of the conventional coin supplier as constructed above.
The gear 120, the conveying container 113 and the supply control container 111 are constructed to rotate around the same rotating shaft 118. If the coins are inputted through the coin slot 110, a predetermined number of coins are supplied to the conveying container 113 through the supplying outlet 112 formed on a side surface of the supply control container 111.
As the conveying container 113 rotates, each of the coins supplied to the conveying container 113 is loaded and conveyed to the plurality of conveying holes 114 formed on a side surface of the conveying container 113 so as to be sorted by the sorting holes of different sizes.
However, the coin supplier operated as above has a drawback that a coin is sorted while passing one of the sorting holes 116 as soon as the conveying hole 114 coincides with one of the sorting holes 116. Since the conveying holes 114 continuously rotate, and if a coin fails to timely pass one of the sorting holes 116, the coin is trapped between one of the conveying holes 114 and one of the sorting holes 116. This results in interruption of an operation of the apparatus for sorting and counting coins.
To resolve this problem, the gear 120 including a protrusion has been installed in the rotating shaft 118. The stopper 119 is also utilized to smooth rotation of the conveying container 113 by interfering the rotating direction of the gear 120.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the gear including a protrusion and the stopper in the coin supplier of the conventional rotative apparatus for sorting and counting coins.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the gear 120 is formed on the rotating shaft, which is rotated by the power generated from the motor 117 to smooth rotation of the conveying container 113. A plurality of protrusions 121 are formed around the periphery of the gear 120.
A stopper 119 is formed on a housing 122 at one side of the gear 120 to receive an elastic force of a spring 123. The stopper 119 has a tilted end so as not to interrupt rotation of the gear 120 due to the elastic force of the spring 123 when the gear 120 rotates in the clockwise direction, and to interrupt rotation of the gear 120 due to interlocking of the protrusions 121 formed on the gear 120 with the stopper 119 when the gear 120 rotates in the anti-clockwise direction.
It is preferable to round the external surface of the protrusions 121 in a circular shape so that the gear 120 can be less interrupted by the stopper 119 when rotated in the clockwise direction.
The motor 117 has a bi-directional structure. That is, the motor 117 first rotates in the clockwise direction. If interrupted by an external force, the motor 117 rotates in the anti-clockwise direction. If interrupted by the external force once again, the motor 117 then rotates in the clockwise direction.
The conveying container 113 engaged with the rotating shaft 118 of the motor 117 also has a bi-directional structure. The coins are sorted as the sizes of the sorting holes 116 become larger along the clockwise direction. Therefore, if the conveying container 113 continues to rotate in the anti-clockwise direction, the coins of relatively smaller sizes pass through the sorting holes 116 of relatively larger sizes. Thus, the coins cannot be sorted in an appropriate manner.
To resolve this problem, the stopper 119 was designed to have a tilted end while the gear 120 was designed to have protrusions 121 on its external surface so as to prevent the conveying container 113 from further rotating in the anti-clockwise direction than a predetermined angle.
To be specific, the stopper 119 is suspended on the protrusions 121 when the conveying container 113 rotates in the anti-clockwise direction. As a consequence, the conveying container 113 does not further rotate in the anti-clockwise direction than a predetermined angle.
When the conveying container 113 rotates in the anti-clockwise direction, the coin inserted between the conveying hole 114 and the sorting holes 116 to interrupt operation of the coin supplying device is released. The conveying container 113 then once again rotates in the clockwise direction after further rotating in the anti-clockwise direction than a predetermined angle. Therefore, the coins of smaller sizes are not sorted through the sorting holes 116 of larger sizes, thereby restoring proper sorting of the coins.
Meanwhile, some of the conventional apparatuses for sorting and counting coins have a function of displaying the number of coins or amount by simply counting the number of coins passing each guide 130 with a sensor installed at the guide 130.
As described above, the conventional apparatus for sorting and counting coins utilizes the height of the coin receiver 140 to contain a predetermined number of coins in the coin container 140, i.e., to count the coins.
However, the conventional apparatus for sorting and counting coins poses the following problems. First, where coins have different sizes in their thickness or shape in accordance with the year of manufacturing, the coin receiver 140 fails to receive a predetermined number of coins. In other words, a predetermined number of coins cannot be received by the coin receiver 140. Second, since the coins bounce down the guide 130 due to an impact of falling from the sorting holes 116, the coins are apt to pass the first coin receiver 140 and fall down the second coin receiver or the coin-collecting drawer 150 even if the first coin receiver 140 has not yet been fulfilled. Thus, it is difficult to contain a predetermined number of coins in the coin receiver 140. Furthermore, it is inconvenient to collect the coins fell outside of the coin receiver 140. As such, the conventional apparatus for sorting and counting coins carries a low efficiency.
As described above, the conventional apparatus for sorting and counting coins poses a significant problem in counting the coins despite its capability of sorting the coins. Such problem still remains in some of the conventional apparatus having an additional function of displaying the number of coins or amount with a sensor installed at the guide because the displayed number of coins or amount is the total number or amount of the coins including the one in the coin-collecting drawer.